Page 12 of Sanctuary of the Shadow
Cragar waved a shaky hand toward the cage. “Be my guest.”
Wielding the staff, the tall man approached the cage. Hatred burned bright in those blue eyes. The creature wasn’t used to making friends, but he couldn’t help but wonder what he’d done to inspire such loathing. Even the traders regarded him with only mild revulsion.
This man’s hatred was deep. Personal.
Whatever it was, he wasn’t cowed. He snarled into that proud face, preparing to fight.
The tall man thrust the staff into the cage.
Quicker than expected, the creature’s hand shot out and seized it in an iron grip. He tried to snap it in half, but he underestimated the power of the weapon. The staff didn’t break. Instead, what felt like a thousand bolts of lightning passed through his body, throwing him back against the bars. He landed on his stomach, stunned, though only for several seconds.
That was all the tall man needed.
The staff was thrust into the cage again, into his back. The second he was aware, he tried to roll over, but he wasn’t fast enough. The lightning pierced him, right between the shoulder blades, and reflexively, his wings burst out. The leathery expanses didn’t quite fit in the cage and crumpled painfully against the bars.
Immediately, he folded them back, and they disappeared as he sprang up into fighting position, head pounding from the aftershock of the lightning.
But the tall man stepped back. The pale, trembling human shrank away as he advanced, still wielding the staff. “I will pay you three-quarters of your asking price. Cage included.”
Cragar eyed the staff. It seemed his fear of the enchanted weapon was all that was needed to strike a deal in the end. “Sold.”
…
The canvas covering the creature’s cage was yanked off with a flourish, revealing…another dark, empty tent. And two men staring at him.
He stared right back, imagining all the ways he might rend the flesh from their bones.
“What is he?” the blond human hissed at the tall man. He bent over the wagon harness, unhooking it from the horse, who stamped its hooves and tossed its head nervously.
“He understands you, Loren. He’s a highly intelligent being, and his hearing is superior to either of ours.”
Loren glanced back at the cage warily. “Why hasn’t he said anything, then?”
The tall man shrugged, staring into the creature’s eyes. “Why indeed.”
After the deal was made, the tall man had tossed a sizable bag of gold at the flesh traders, thrown the canvas over the cage, and taken his new possession away to…somewhere. Wherever they were, it was still in the city. The trip had taken only twenty minutes or so, and the smells in the air hadn’t changed much.
“If he’s so intelligent,” the human asked, “why are we keeping him in a cage?”
“Because he’s evil. And he would kill us all given the chance.”
The human snorted an incredulous yet nervous laugh. “How can you know he’s evil? Sure, he looks frightening enough, but he hasn’t done anything but stare at us.”
The creature listened carefully for the tall man’s response. He didn’t trust a word out of his mouth, yet he had seemed to know more than he let on during negotiations.
“How much history do you know about the conflicts between the Queens, Loren?”
“A bit. Supposedly, after Furie’s warlord mate was killed in a raid on Darya’s borders, the Fire Queen lost her mind. She blamed Darya and retaliated, and then the other Queens joined in the fighting until humans got sick of it and turned against them. The Queens were forced to retreat and hide in their castles, and their once-noble Elementals became shunned outcasts of society.”
“An abbreviated version, certainly. More specifically, do you knowhowFurie retaliated against Darya?”
“Sure. By killing every one of Darya’s Seers.”
The tall man stared into the creature’s eyes as he spoke. “And how did she manage to wipe out an entire thriving group of Elementals?”
“Well, that part’s a bit controversial. Everyone has heard of wraiths, but most people agree they’re just a myth because Furie never created any Fire Elementals. I’ve heard they were Enchanter assassins skilled at fire illusions or some kind of winged Hybrid.”
The tall man smiled.
